Comcare will roll out a low-intensity cognitive behaviour therapy program to up to 120,000 Commonwealth employees over the next two years, while continuing to provide mental health first-aid training to its own workers, its 2019-20 annual report shows.
This article examines all the must-know workplace safety, workers' compensation and COVID-19 developments from July, August and September 2020, with highlights including a new WHS Code for the pandemic, the Dreamworld judgment, a record double-fatality fine and gross negligence cases.
> COVID work restrictions eased slightly in Vic, with UK lesson; > Comcare updates transition-to-usual-work guidance; and > Industrial manslaughter laws demanded for Tas WHS Act.
The Federal Government has been accused of "inaction" affecting work safety standards, with Safe Work Australia's latest statistics report showing the national work-related fatality toll increased for the first time in more than a decade.
Australia's WHS framework is robust and can help duty holders grapple with the ever-changing impact of COVID-19 on health and safety, but mitigating pandemic hazards is not a one-size-fits-all approach, according to department heads from two Federal safety agencies.
The Federal Government has, in its 2020-21 budget, committed hundreds of millions of dollars to detecting COVID-19 in asymptomatic workers and others, maintaining the paid pandemic leave scheme, and helping the Fair Work Commission cope with its increasing workload.
Comcare has reported receiving a string of injury claims associated with the rapid transition to home-based work for COVID-19, while a wellness service has warned that many workplace leaders are at risk of burnout, including from home-work arrangements and other pandemic stressors.
